Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s early life
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is, also called Gurudev, a tremendous spiritual and meditation teacher and renowned yoga guru known worldwide for his peace initiatives, humanitarian works, and foundation, ‘The Art of Living.’ He was born on 13th May 1956 in Papanasam, Tamil Nadu, and had a very keen interest in Bhagavad Gita since his early childhood. By 17, he had graduated both in Vedic literature and physics. He is often called Sri Sri, Guru Ji, and Gurudev. His name is Ravi Shankar, and he has a fascinating story. Ravi means ‘Sun’ because of his birth on Sunday, and the name Shankar has been taken from Adi Shankara, a great philosopher of the eighth century who was also born on Sunday.
Peacemaking role
He is known as a humanitarian cum peace-loving leader and helps to unite millions of people across the world. As an ambassador of peace, he shares his vision of non-violence and is a key figure in peace-making. He has resolved conflict in Colombia, Pakistan, Venezuela, Iraq, the Ivory Coast, and many others. In India, he played important roles in determining the various conflict-related issues of Kashmir, North East, and Bihar. He encourages interfaith harmony and multicultural education to achieve sustainable peace.
Founder of The Art of Living
The Art of Living was founded by Ravi Shankar, an international organisation of a non-profit nature that works towards well-being and reduces conflict in a stress-torn society. The organisation offers educational, yoga, spiritual, and humanitarian programs in 180 countries. He also founded the International Association for Human Values (IAHV) in 1997, which works for sustainable development and conflict resolution.
Humanitarian works
The humanitarian works of Gurudev are spread across the globe through dedicated volunteers. He and his team work for marginalised children, survivors of terror attacks, natural disaster victims, and many more. He is a part of a stress and violence-free worldwide movement.
Spiritual teacher
Ravi Shankar is a leading spiritual teacher who offers yoga and meditation classes worldwide for the betterment of society. His spiritual speeches are in demand, especially in the electronic media. Millions of people benefited from his lecture.
Ravi Shankar’s Sudarshan Kriya
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar developed a new technique called Sudarshan Kriya in 1982 for social health transformation. He visualises this breathing technique on the bank of river Bhadra, Karnataka. Sudarshan Kriya is a rhythmic breathing practice that has gained recognition worldwide as it relieves stress and helps ensure inner peace.
Awards
Ravi Shankar received many recognitions in the form of awards. Some of his important awards are Padma Vibhushan-India’s second highest civilian award (2016), Peru’s Highest Award, “Medalla de la Integración en el Grado de Gran Oficial,” Colombia’s highest civilian award, “Orden de la Democracia Simón Bolívar,” Highest civilian award “National Order of Mérito de Comuneros,” Paraguay, Honorary Citizenship and Goodwill Ambassador award, Houston, USA, and many more. In 2009, he was named by Forbes magazine as the fifth most powerful leader in India.
Controversy
Ravi Shankar once said that some Indian government schools breed Naxalism. All government schools and colleges should be privaprivatized; the government should not run any school. However, he later clarified that it was for sick government schools, especially in NaxalNaxal-affecteds. Many who have turned to Naxalism have come from these schools. In 2018, he faced criticism because of his comment that India would enter Syria if the Ram temple issue weren’t solved soon.
Ravi Shankar’s Twitter and instagram (social media)
- Innstagram: @srisriravishankar
- Twitter: @SriSri
- You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/@Gurudev/featured
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gurudev/
Ravi Shankar’s best-selling books
- Celebrating Silence: Excerpts from Five
- Celebrating Love
- Wisdom for the New Millennium
- God Loves Fun
- An Intimate Note to the Sincere Seeker
- Secrets Of Relationships
- Narada Bhakti Sutra – The Aphorisms of Love
- Sattva the Ayurvedic Cook Book: A Fabulous Collection of Delicious Recipes From India and Around the World
- Patanjali Yoga Sutras
- Know Your Child
- Bang on the Door: A Collection of Talks
- The Yogasara Upanishad
- Sex, Life, Spirituality
- Shiva Sutras
- Sri Sri Yoga: A Basic Practice Manual
- Punarnava: New Again
- Know Your Mind
- Wonder
- Source of Life
- Through the Eyes of the Master
- Management Mantras
- Stumbling Into Infinity
- Satsang: Collection of Bhajans
- Quotes from Sri Sri
- Power of Love
- A Dios le encanta divertirse (Spanish)
- Waves of Emotion
- Being Love
- The Art Of Being You
- Buddha – The Manifestation of Silence
- Sri Sri As I Know Him
